The practice of exercising with weights is well known, and is commonly used to increase the strength and tone of muscles in the body. As such, the fitness equipment market has a preponderance of barbells, dumbbells, and other types of weight resistance equipment.
When exercising with weights, it is often desirable to change the amount of weight being used during an exercise program. A variety of fixed weight equipment is available, but a suitable selection of such equipment requires a lot of room for use and takes a good deal of space for storage.
Adjustable weight equipment is also available where weights may be added or removed from an apparatus. The process for changing weights, however, is often complicated and time consuming. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,197, weight changes are made by removing and replacing a protruding locking collar on a grip bar each time weights are added or removed. In addition to being time consuming, the procedure may require a special tool, and can be difficult to implement.
In other types of adjustable equipment, weights are changed using a threaded connector as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,379. Threaded connectors have several disadvantages. They may bind, become difficult to remove, and require tightening, which is dependent on the strength of the user. In addition, the weights may become loose during an exercise and may even dislodge from the bar member, causing distraction or injury.
Some types of apparatus have the bar or grip of a barbell or dumbbell extending beyond the weight plates, creating equipment that is larger than necessary and tending to restrict the full movement of wrists and arms.
In addition, most weight exercise equipment is fabricated primarily with metal parts, which tends to increase the manufacturing cost and the final cost to the consumer.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved adjustable weight exercise apparatus that is functional, easy to use, safe from accidental disconnects, ergonomically friendly, and cost-effective.